Yes we know you aren't suppose to feed the animals and yes we know it is bad for them but these Gray Jays invited themselves to our picnic and wouldn't take no for an answer. We finally put a sacrificial sandwich at the end of the table so we could eat in peace. We had such a nice private picnic spot in the woods that if it weren't for the birds we would have stayed and relaxed there much longer.
Visited the hill where Custer made his last stand and died along side 236 of his men. Spent hours learning the history of the area and of the battle and of the Native people who were defending their homes and their way of life. In addition to the museum there is a 4 mile drive through the rolling hills and markers show were Custers men fell. Some markers are alone but many are in groups of 2-3. There is also a memorial of headstones for men killed in the line of duty from after the civil war until Vietnam. Lots to reflect on and learn while the girls earned their Jr ranger patches. Only Anna and Clara were able to earn them here. It was too challenging for Elayna this time.
The Buffalo Bill Historical Museum is actually 4 huge museums in one. A few pictures of what we saw. The girls favorite was a collection of native American toys including dolls and doll clothes that looked just like the clothes for the little girls. At the bottom is a picture of Anna wondering why teen siblings don't have as much energy as her. But who has as much energy as Anna?!
An amazing collection of historical buildings from the area which were taken down and reconstructed here to create a little old west town. Each building was furnished with authentic antique items. The cabin homes had antique beds, furs, wash tubs and kitchen utensils and old cooking wood stoves. Other buildings represented the trade they had been used for including trappers cabins, a post office, a couple of old stores, a schoolhouse and an old saloon as well as a livery stables.
Dropped in for a quick visit to this dam named after Buffalo Bill. It had an interesting history. It was built in the early 1900s and it took nearly 6 years to complete. The contractors had to battle the extreme weather of Cody and hazardous working conditions which took the lives of 7 men before the dam was complete. At the time it was the tallest dam in the world. What we found unusual was that it was not built as a hydroelectric dam originally but as an irrigation dam which would provide the needed water to an area that only sees about 5 inches of rain per year.
Happened to be in the right place at the right time and caught this presentation on raptors. This great horned owl and the perigrin falcon were our favorites. Both were injured and not able to be returned to the wild. We learned about their hunting habits, natural habitats, their important place I'm the food chain, mating and nesting habits and we got an up close look at these amazing animals. We also saw a red tailed hawk (not pictured)
